Perfect For Somebody
by RyukoVulpix
Summary: Abe and Shinooka have broken up and Mihashi needs a confidence boost because of it. Wait, what? Could be AbeMiha if you want it to be.


**Perfect For Somebody**

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"G-good morning, Abe-kun," Mihashi said as he walked into the locker room. He was a bit early today, so he was surprised to see Abe there before him. "How… how are you?"

"Shinooka and I broke up."

"Whaaa?!" Mihashi squeaked. Quickly, he looked over Abe's face for any sign of being upset, but the catcher seemed as calm and stoic as usual. Still, Mihashi couldn't help but feel rather shocked. Abe and Chiyo-chan had only been going out for a couple of weeks, so for it to be over so suddenly…

"B-but, everyone thought… Abe-kun and Shinooka… seemed so good for each other…" Mihashi said in his usual wavering voice.

Abe sighed as he pulled his practice shirt out from his locker. "Yeah, that's what I thought too," he said. "Guess not."

A few seconds of silence passed as the boys changed into their practice uniforms. Then, with his shirt halfway over his head, Abe heard something behind him. Something that sounded strangely like… crying.

"What the hell?!" he yelled as he whirled around to face a sniffling Mihashi sitting on the bench. Although the temptation to grab the pitcher's head and grind it between his knuckles was as strong as ever, he successfully resisted. _'Don't make him more upset… don't make him more upset…'_ Abe chanted to himself. "Mihashi," he said slowly, "this was _my_ breakup. It was mutual, between Shinooka and me. And we're still friends, I promise. So why the hell are _you_ crying?!"

"B-because…" Mihashi stammered, his eyes big and watery. "I-if everybody… thought… that Shinooka… and A-Abe-kun… were perfect for each other… b-but… they weren't…"

"Yes?" Abe said through gritted teeth.

"Th-then… I…"

"Mihashi."

Mihashi froze as a hand clamped down on top of his head and Abe sat down next to him.

Abe fixed him with a cold look. "This is really none of your business," he said. "So if you want to say something about it, then spit it out and let's be done with it."

Mihashi was frustratingly quiet, his eyes and mouth still trembling. Abe was about to give into his baser instincts and yell Mihashi into next week when finally the pitcher spoke up.

"Th-the things… you liked… about Shinooka…"

"You mean, what made me want to go out with her?" Abe said, raising an eyebrow and wondering where this was going. "It's not anything that anyone can't tell for themselves. She loves baseball. I wouldn't have gone out with her if she didn't. And she's one of the hardest-working people I know. Her personality is a little troublesome sometimes, but I didn't mind. We've known each other for a long time, so I was used to it. And people say she's cute, which didn't matter too much to me, but it didn't hurt, either." Abe looked slightly embarrassed to be heard saying all that.

"Th-then… if you l-liked… all those things… about her… then why…?"

"I don't know," Abe said, sitting back and running a hand through his hair. "I mean, I liked all those things _about_ her, but in the end, I don't know if I ever liked _her_. You know, enough to date her. I probably never would have, if she hadn't asked first. I guess, in the end, there was just something missing. For both of us."

"… I… I see…" Mihashi mumbled, looking downward at the bench.

Abe stood up and finished changing into his uniform. As he was about to walk out of the locker room, the feel of Mihashi's hand on his arm stopped him. "Mihashi?" he said, glancing backward.

"A-Abe-kun…" Mihashi mumbled.

Abe was slightly irritated to see tears forming in the corners of Mihashi's eyes again. "What is it?" he said flatly.

"If… something like… Abe-kun and Shinooka… can't work out… what if… I… can't… find…"

Abe sighed. Scratching the back of his head, he said in as not awkward a voice as he could manage, "Look, Mihashi. I'm sure that somewhere, someday, you'll find _somebody_ who's perfect for you, and you'll be perfect for that person. So stop worrying about it. It'll happen when it happens."

Mihashi stared up at Abe with wide, sparkling eyes. "Abe-kun… thinks… I'm perfect for somebody?"

Feeling the sudden rush of heat to his face, Abe slapped a hand to his forehead in an attempt to hide the redness and simultaneously smack some sense into himself. _'It's for his self-confidence… it's for the battery… it's for baseball, dammit!'_ "Yes, Mihashi. I think so. Now come on, let's play some catch before practice starts," he said before quickly walking out toward the field. Mihashi nodded eagerly before dashing after his catcher, looking noticeably brighter than before.


End file.
